Don't you find it weird that Ramen Champion no longer serves just ramen!? At least that's how i felt when i dropped by Bugis + last Saturday where there were five restaurants in competition for the championship.
Four were ramen restaurants whereas one, Don Meijin, stood out for offering another notable Japanese dish; the don, also known as rice bowls!
Sticking out like a sore thumb in the championship, it didn't stop me from going through the menu and deciding to order the signature tendon. The delicious experience at Kohaku remained etched in my memory and i figured i should just check out the tendon for easier comparison.
The fact that i didn't recall hearing or reading any recommendation wasn't really important as it could be new and anyway, taste buds differ from person to person and one man's meat could always be another man's poison (the wise words as told by a friend).
In the past, display of tendons was, simply put, a few pieces of deep fried items thrown onto a bed of Japanese rice. After the successful penetration by Tendon Ginza Itsuki, things had since changed and the contemporary look now is one that exudes abundance!
In addition to the hidden portion of Japanese rice, you can find a piece each of deep fried seaweed, french bean, green capsicum, pumpkin, two prawns and three pieces of chicken fillet.
Not exactly a good deal when i reviewed my Kohaku post and realised that for S$1.20 more, i would have squid and crab stick in place of the extra piece of chicken fillet.
Time to indulge in the deep fried food - the batter had a thin layer of crispiness which would have been really desirable. However, there was an alkaline taste (the ki-taste) that some people dislike and even though that's fine for me; i was more disappointed with the sweet sauce which had too weak a sweetness to appeal to me.
Rarely do i leave my tendon rice untouched but in this case, the sauce just failed to work up my appetite and i regretted not sticking to my initial decision for ramen.
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Location
201, Victoria Street, #04-10,
Bugis+, Don Meijin,
Singapore 188067
Map
As above.
Pricing
Tendon from Don Meijin - S$13.80
(Subject to GST)